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Uncertainty and anxiety generated by COVID-19 pandemic motivated social psychologist Evelyne Vazquez at the University of California, Riverside, to collaborate with Healthy campus UCR on a to study identify safety measures and public health messages that reduce the spread of the coronavirus within campus communities.
Work with Anne Cheney, associate professor at Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health at UC Riverside Medicine School, Vázquez and the UCR Healthy Campus research team conducted nine focus groups at UCR with various stakeholders, including 42 students, 41 staff and 30 faculty. The UCR Healthy Campus group works to improve health and well-being on campus.
Last September, participants took part in 90-minute sessions to discuss their beliefs about the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health burden associated with the stress and uncertainty of the pandemic, the challenges of compliance with public health measures and sudden transition to work. or study at home, which for some also meant raising children and caring for others.
Vázquez, postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Medicine, led the research design, analysis and interpretation of the project’s data. Researchers asked panelists open-ended questions related to COVID-19 on topics such as risk reduction measures such as face coverings and recommendations for a safe return to campus.
“Ours was a qualitative study, allowing us to better understand why people behave in certain ways, what their core values are and how culture can influence their behaviors,” said Vázquez, who received his doctorate in education in 2019. . of the UCR Higher education school. “Qualitative methods are ideal for exploring shared ideas and community strategies to promote public health responses. “
All participants expressed concern about the risk of contracting COVID-19 based on the behaviors of other people in public spaces, with lack of mask wearing and social distancing being a main source of discomfort. Another source of perceived risk was private home spaces.
“Participants discussed the difficulty of being in these private spaces with friends, family and roommates who did not wear masks or were skeptical of their use,” Vázquez said. “Several participants thought that the younger generations saw themselves as less vulnerable to COVID-19. “
Misinformation disseminated through social media and the media appeared in the focus groups. Participants expressed concern that some people felt face coverings compromised breathing and refrained from wearing masks or wearing them inappropriately. Ways in which personal freedom trumped the shared responsibility to protect others were also touched upon in the discussions. Participants also weighed the stress of balancing social and emotional needs and the risk of contracting COVID-19.
“Unless the security measures are successfully implemented, participants said they refused to return to campus,” Vázquez said.
According to to study, which appears in the journal Health Education and Behavior, the participants:
Indicated need for transparent messages, regulations and enforcement of precautions for the safety and comfort of community members.
- Partnerships encouraged with county public health department for COVID-19 education and resources.
- Suggested several structural interventions, such as free rapid COVID-19 tests, sanitation materials, cleaning supplies, increased indoor ventilation, and outdoor seating.
- Suggestions for flexible classroom policies to allow students to meet their academic needs; and flexible hours for staff and faculty to accommodate their childcare and / or babysitting responsibilities.
- Suggested a top-down approach to promote public health safety measures and institutional policies implemented on campus.
- Suggested a basic approach to widely adopt and adhere to public health measures.
- Stressed the strict observance of the wearing of the mask and the consequences for those who do not follow the guidelines.
- Recommended workshops and trainings on COVID-19 safety information for the campus community, regardless of socio-cultural and political differences.
- Recommended that the university provide information on how vulnerable populations on campus could be supported.
- Advocacy to support the mental health needs of staff and faculty.
- Discussed the need to “rethink the entire campus” including the classroom and offices.
“Public research universities such as UCR can generate and disseminate knowledge through research and education and are well positioned to meet community health needs in this pandemic,” Cheney said. “As our study participants recommend, a combination of top-down and foundational solutions focused on building community and school spirit could be effective in adopting COVID-19 safety measures.”
The research was conducted before the emergency approval of COVID-19 vaccines. With the public now having widespread access to these vaccines, the research team is considering a new round of back-to-campus panel discussions.
Vázquez and Cheney were joined in the study by Julie Chobdee and Niloufar Nasrollahzadeh. Chobdee, who was the wellness program coordinator at UCR when the study was conducted, now works at the University of Southern California; Nasrollahzadeh is a former graduate student who worked for UCR Healthy Campus.
The title of the research paper is “Personal Freedom and Social Responsibility in Slowing the Spread of COVID-19: A Rapid Qualitative Study.”
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